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Company Law Reform Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 1:"Page 2, line 2, at end insert ““and Chapter 1 of Part 32 (business names)””" The noble Lord said: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single amendment. I begin by declaring my interests, which I declared at Second Reading and which are also available for inspection in the Register of Members’ Interests. Amendment No. 1 concerns the first clause, on companies. This amendment has been raised with us by the Law Society. It seeks to draw attention to the fact that the Bill contains provisions that apply to business names used in the United Kingdom by overseas companies as well as those companies incorporated in the United Kingdom. The argument is that the references in Clause 1 should be as comprehensive as possible in defining the companies to which the provisions apply. Inserting this reference in Part 32 makes it much clearer where the relevant law is to be found, and therefore it improves the ease with which this legislation can be used. I beg to move.